PART 2 START: 2022 5 Star GP Finals

Kairi Hojo is climbing the top rope, obviously looking for the same diving elbow drop that has dropped many opponents in this first run back to STARDOM. Up she goes, down she goes, but her opponent, former Wonder of STARDOM champion Tam Nakano moves out of the way! Hojo hits the ground hard but gets up quick, Nakano meets her, tries for the Tiger Suplex, Hojo escapes and tries for a quick forearm, no good again as Tam grabs Kairi's arm, spins her around and hits the Twilight Dream on Hojo! Cover! 1...2... NO! Kairi kicks out of the move. Tam wastes no time on her, picks her up, Tiger Suplex attempt is rolled-through by Kairi leaving Tam right on her back. Kairi hits the ropes, misses the frontwards Sliding D but comes back quick with one to the back! Tam Nakano is rocked and in danger of losing this match! A SLIDING TO TO THE HEAD OF TAM NAKANO!

1... 2.... 3!

WINNER - and the 2022 5 STAR GP WINNER: Kairi Hojo!

It's all been leading up to this, ever since Kairi Hojo made her return to STARDOM she only one thing in the very back of her mind, getting closer and closer to the front with every passing day: Becoming a top player in STARDOM once again. This certifies her as such if anyone ever had a question in their mind of whether she's a top player or not. Kairi's fellow STARS members flood the ring to give her the ice-pack and celebrate with her all at once. During the trophy ceremony, STARS leader Mayu Iwatani never took her eyes off Hojo as she celebrated with the trophy.

Kairi: “UTAMI HAYASHISHITA! The World of STARDOM championship is coming home with me at XXX!”

Loud and clear.
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PART 2.A: Utami Hayashishita (c) vs. Kairi Hojo (h) – 5Star GP Contract Holder Request World of STARDOM championship match.
Kairi Hojo has been through hell this match. Surviving close to a minute in Hayashishita's painful Argentine Backbreaker before the former gave up on the move, continually thrown around on the outside, and not long ago kicking out of an STO from Utami. But through everything, Kairi was still there and fighting the best that she could against Utami.

30 Minutes Passed! 30 Minutes!

Utami got going after that announcement; no more bullshit, no more letting Kairi get away. Utami was leaving with her belt tonight come hell or high water. Now locking Kairi as tight as she could in a sleeper hold, the lights looked dim – metaphorically and not – for Kairi Hojo as Hayashishita continued to crank her neck more and more; but Kairi Hojo is able to slip out and under Utami! Utami is caught in a near-fall roll-up, then caught with a spear, but Utami stands RIGHT BACK UP! Kairi and Utami now begin the forearm battle with one another, Kairi wins it however, pushing Utami over in the process. This smells like trouble for Utami as Kairi hits a front-Sliding D, then another one quick to the back, and then one last Sliding D to the head! The referee can't see anymore and the match is over! Kairi Hojo wins the World of STARDOM title by K.O.!

WINNER: Kairi Hojo via K.O. Time: 33:54

Another massive celebration with the members of STARS commences, Kairi Hojo thanks the crowd for always backing her and the rest of STARS along the way, Mayu Iwatani asks for the microphone.

Mayu: “Kairi I want to congratulate you first on your title win. We can celebrate all night still, but there's one thing I need to tell you.” Mayu begins. “ I-” but she's cut off as she attempts another sentence. The music of one Starlight Kid hits, she already has a microphone as she exits from the curtain. SLK: “No, no, no Iwatani, I know what you're going to ask and the answer is NO. I don't care what management may say, I beat you in the Cinderella Tournament; I get that title shot long before you and that's a fact!” Backed by the remander of Oedo Tai to help even the numbers out between both groups, SLK makes her approach but doesn't have to say anything else.

Kairi: “Fine! In one months time I'll put my title on the line against you Starlight Kid! Lets see how much better you've gotten.” Mayu is disappointed, but says nothing else as the night ends on a massive staredown..

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PART 2.C: Kairi Hojo (c, v.0) vs. Starlight Kid – World of STARDOM Championship Match.

Unlike many of the previous World of STARDOM title matches fought by Utami Hayashishita, this match proved to be a whirlwind of fresh air, with the former High Speed Champion Starlight Kid forcing Kairi Hojo to keep up with her pace for the entire match-up. A standing moonsault from Starlight Kid gave her all the confidence that she needed to go to the middle rope. An almost unreal ascension to the middle rope followed by an even quicker Moonsault to the downed Hojo. Another ascension to the top-rope, and a Swivel Body Press attempt from Starlight is dodged by Hojo! Hojo stands and nails a quick Sliding D to the back of SLK! 1.. 2.. 3..! That's enough to keep the ball of energy they call Starlight Kid down for the needed three count!

WINNER – and STILL World of STARDOM Champion: Kairi Hojo! Time: 15:12

Hojo celebrated once more, this time only flanked by tag partner Koguma as opposed to the rest of STARS. A handshake is attempted by Hojo, who has it denied by an absolutely irate Starlight Kid. Finger pointing and yelling begins but is quickly broken up by the STARDOM Dojo Trainees at ringside. Eventually SLK makes her exist, and Hojo attempts to send the crowd home for the night. But before she can even begin, Syuri's theme fills the air of the arena. She slowly walks her way down to the ring without breaking eye contact with Hojo once.

“Kairi, did you really think you would rid of Donna Del Mondo that easily from your life? You defeated one of us. It doesn't matter that Giulia is our leader: We are still a team, and that means there are many of us. I had a feeling you'd need help figuring that out, Pirate.” She takes a smug look up and down Hojo. “I'll make my point clear: It's not over between DDM and you, and it's certainly not over between me and you. I want that title, and I want it soon. What do you say, Kairi?”

“You're on, Syuri!”

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PART 2.D: Kairi Hojo (c, v.1) vs. Syuri – World of STARDOM Championship Match

The knee meets the foot as two of STARDOM's fiercest, most tenured fighters battle their way towards the World of STARDOM Championship: Kairi Hojo, and Syuri. Both competitors would mock one another as the referee checked them for any foreign objects. The match was very, very different to the one wrestled in Hojo's first defense against Starlight Kid, with both women feinting kicks in the very early goings of the match. Through the middle, a few bigger kicks started to get hit, along with a bit of dirty grappling from Syuri that leveled in some hair-pulling to the fight.

By the end of the fight, both women were giving it their all in their kicks, not holding back a single bit toward the other. Syuri finally gave a strong handed slap to Kairi to slow the action down a bit; at least, those were here intentions. Instead of leveling Hojo as intended, Syuri only pissed her off. Now slapping her heart out at Syuri, Hojo had seemingly taken the lead once again. The slaps kept coming from both women now, and the forearm strikes began. Both women were absolutely exhausted from the match and seemed to be running on empty in the take, but Syuri still goes for a roundhouse to the head of Hojo; Hojo ducks it! Hojo grabs onto the back of Syuri and takes her up for a massive German Suplex! She's not done as she heads to the top rope, big elbow drop from Hojo! 1.. 2.. 3! Hojo is able to outlast Syuri!

WINNER – and STILL World of STARDOM Champion: Kairi Hojo! - Time: 26:21

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PART 2.E: STARS (Mayu Iwatani, Kairi Hojo, and Saya Iida) vs. Cosmic Angels (Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka, and Mina Shirakawa)

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We join at the end of the match as Mayu Iwatani looks to have everything wrapped up against the Cosmic Angels unit. Mayu Iwatani is in the corner about to go up for a frog splash, when suddenly Kairi tags herself in! Mayu looks as furious as she can be while Hojo assures her that she has it all under control. As soon as Hojo turns she's met with a huge spin kick – obviously still hurt from her fight with Syuri – and the rest of Cosmic Angels are sent after Mayu and Saya! Without fail Tam gets Hojo into position for the Dodon.tam and hits it! 1, 2, 3 and Tam Nakano has exacted a measure of revenge on World Champion Kairi Hojo, whom she lost to in the 5Star GP Finals!

WINNERS: Cosmic Angels – Time: 10:21

Mayu thrashes away from the CA member holding her and yanks the microphone away from the timekeeper, absolutely livid. “Kairi! Get up, right now!” she says to the still reeling champion. “I don't care how tired you are, or how beat up you are, you're going to listen to me for once! For months you have spoken over me, put me down, and constantly shone the spotlight of STARS on yourself, and for what reason? You have gold? You got to go to the United States, leaving us behind in the process?? If you think that the one that holds the title is the one on top of this group, you're dead wrong! There's no I in team, Kairi Hojo!” She comes face to face with Hojo as she raises to her feet.

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“Kairi, when you first won that title I wanted just a single match with you, that's all. No title, no nothing. I wanted to prove to you that I had grown, I had gotten so much better than the last time you saw me in this company. But now? Kairi, I want to face you for that title, and I want to prove those same things to you and just one more thing: that either we work this thing out, or you take orders from me. Not the other way around.” With that bombshell of a statement, Kairi Hojo's next match is decided and the microphone is handed to someone on the outside by Mayu.
In the coming days, Mayu would apologize for the severity of her words, but would not give in that what she was saying was wrong as it simply wasn't.

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PART 2 FINALE: Kairi Hojo (c, v.2) vs. Mayu Iwatani – World of STARDOM Championship

This match was unlike any that Kairi had been apart of since returning to STARDOM in December of 2021. There was no out of the gate running pace start, there was no mockery between the two women, there was silence, and a staredown of who would make the first move. Only a solid minute in did the match finally get going with both women locking up and grappling with one another. The intensity could still be felt even in the mat-based opening, but could especially be felt as both competitors realized they weren't getting the lead over the other and were stuck at a stalemate. Mayu was eventually able to send the champion to the outside and land a massive moonsault to the outside into a crowd of STARDOM trainees and Kairi!

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We go to the end of the match now, nearing the end of our story. Both women are giving it their all towards one another as the strikes keep coming. All of the sudden, Mayu Iwatani with the massive dropkick right to the chin of Kairi! Another one sees Kairi get up much slower afterwards. And Mayu goes for the Sky High on Kairi Hojo! Pinfall, 1.. 2.. NO! Kairi kicks out! She's left on the mat by Iwatani who goes to the top, now looking for a big Frog Splash... And she hits it! 1.. 2..! NO! Kairi Hojo once again rises to her feet, now screaming in the face of Mayu Iwatani before taking her to the mat and delivering an absolute onslaught of strikes directly to the head! Kairi stands back up sitting Mayu up as she does, now hitting the ropes and looking for a Sliding D, but Mayu falls back and out of it, leaving Kairi Hojo tangled up in the ropes! Mayu hits her with a massive deadlift German Suplex from that position! Her mojo is back! She heads to the top rope again for a huge moonsault and HITS IT! 1, 2, 3!!! Mayu Iwatani dethrones Kairi Hojo as World of STARDOM Champion and gains a matter of respect over her!

WINNER, and NEW World of STARDOM Champion: Mayu Iwatani! - Time: 25:54

Following the match, Mayu is seen looking down towards Kairi Hojo, at first sitting on the ground near her, and eventually up to her feet. As Kairi finally comes to and looks up at Mayu, Mayu extends a hand out to her downed partner. Wearily, Kairi takes the hand and is helped up – into a hug from Mayu Iwatani. The two embrace following the match, showing that all is well within STARS. This is confirmed by the words Kairi has to say after the match.

“Mayu, I'm very sorry for how I've acted. You truly have gotten better, and I'm happy that you're the one steering this ship. Thank you for the fight.” She hands the belt over to Mayu Iwatani and stands with the rest of STARS as the night ends, now in the back; the same spot Mayu had been in.

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END.